Reflecting on 2018 while Dreaming of 2019

As the end of one year comes, I feel much more introspective, as I am sure many others do. A new year always offers promises of changes, a fresh start, and 365 days of new possibilities.

As 2019 draws to a close I can't help but look back and reflect on all that went right this past year... as well as what didn't go according to plan, for better or worse.

I have always been one to have a difficult time saying "No" to people. I always tend to take on more work and projects than I could ever have time for and this causes a lot of stress for myself as well as those closest to me.

However, in the past few months, I have experimented with this powerful new word: No. I have turned down work projects and outside commitments and guess what? I have a lot more time to pursue goals I had always wanted to pursue but never had time for! It's truly been a revelation! I even have time to just sit and relax, like fully relax without worrying about if I am forgetting a project I committed myself to (though there are a few I still have on my to-do list) or worrying that I am disappointing someone.

I plan to continue this practice of saying No in 2019. In fact, last year, my word for 2019 was TIME. I was inspired by Rebecca Desnos, author of Plants are Magic to pick a word to summarize what I wanted from the year 2018. It took me almost the entire year to fully realize how to divide my time and saying NO was a big part of that entire process.

For 2019, I have more than just a few plans, none of which feels like work, so that's a good start! I hoped to share them with you all so that they might inspire if you are in need of inspiration and they will hold me more accountable to actually completing them, haha!

To start, my word for 2019 is INTENTION. Every time I have set out to think of a word to define the year that laid ahead of me, a singular word always seemed to jump out at me. For 2018, that was TIME, and for 2019 INTENTION is the one word I kept circling back to.

I haven't always felt meticulous in regards to my actions, but over the past two or three years, I have slowly become much more deliberate in the path I have chosen to take. Whether that meant shutting down my RTW clothing business to reassess my future goals, take on the challenge of going zero waste, or quit taking on custom wedding dress orders, I have been incredibly intentional in each of those decisions. None were made lightly, and each had months of thought put into them.

So I plan to carry on into 2019 being intentional in every interaction, every item added to my to-do list, every new city I travel to, and every moment I spend with those closest to me.

That intentionality starts with my decision to FINALLY participate in the #makenine Instagram challenge as well as try out Gretchen Rubin's idea of having a 19 for 2019 list comprised of the most important things I hope to accomplish in 2019! Stay tuned for more info on both of those in the next few days :)